Trusted WordPress tutorials, when you need them most.
Beginner’s Guide to WordPress
WPB Cup
25 Million+
Websites using our plugins
16+
Years of WordPress experience
3000+
WordPress tutorials
by experts

How to Add Tables in WordPress Posts and Pages (No HTML Required)

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on WPBeginner. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Learn more about Editorial Process.

Do you want to add tables to WordPress posts and pages?

Tables are a great way to display data in an understandable format. WordPress offers easy ways to create content inside tables with some formatting and design options.

In this article, we will show you how to create tables in WordPress posts and pages without using a plugin or any HTML code.

We’ll also cover how to create advanced tables in WordPress with sorting and search features.

Adding tables in WordPress without writing code

Video Tutorial

Subscribe to WPBeginner

If you prefer written instructions, then just keep reading.

Creating Tables in the WordPress Block Editor

WordPress makes it super easy to add tables using the default WordPress block editor.

Simply create a new post or page or edit an existing one. Once inside the content editor, click the ‘+’ symbol to add a new block, then select the Table block.

You can find it under the ‘Text’ section, or you can type ‘Table’ into the search bar.

Add table block

Next, you will be prompted to choose how many columns and rows you want for your table. Both figures default to 2.

Don’t worry if you are not 100% sure about the exact number because you can always add/remove table columns and rows later.

Table columns and rows

Simply enter the number of rows and columns and click the ‘Create Table’ button.

The block will then generate your table and display it on the screen.

Table preview

You can type in the table cells, and they will automatically resize depending on how much content is in each one.

You can set this option on the right side if you prefer your cells to be fixed-width. Here, you can also add a table header or footer section.

Table options panel

From the settings panel, you can also switch to the Style tab.

Your WordPress theme may offer a bunch of styles for the table block, or you can choose the background and text colors.

Table style and colors

If you want to add a new row or column, just click on a cell at the point in the table where you want to add it. Next, click the ‘Edit Table’ button.

This will show a bunch of options to add or remove rows and columns to your table.

Add or remove table rows and columns

By default, the text in your table’s columns is aligned to the left.

You can change this by clicking inside a column and then clicking the ‘Change Column Alignment’ button:

Align table columns

You can also change the alignment of your whole table within the post or page.

Just click the ‘Change alignment’ button and select an option from the list.

Table alignment

Note that these options can make your table display beyond the normal boundaries of your post area.

Some may look odd on your WordPress website, so please preview your post or page to check how the table will appear.

Here’s our table set to ‘Wide Width’ as it appears on our demo site:

Table live preview

As you can see, it stretches beyond the post area’s left and right margins.

The table tools built into the Gutenberg editor give you much flexibility in displaying your tables. You can use the Table block to show data to readers in an easy-to-understand format.

However, the block doesn’t have advanced features like search filtering, custom sorting, and more.

It also doesn’t let you efficiently use the same table across multiple areas of your WordPress website, such as sidebar widgets or other pages.

To create advanced tables, you will need to use a WordPress table plugin.

Creating Tables Using the TablePress Plugin

TablePress is one of the best WordPress tables plugins on the market. It is a free plugin and allows you to create and manage tables easily. Plus, you can edit your table separately and even add a large number of rows.

TablePress also becomes necessary if you are using the older classic WordPress editor, which does not have the table functionality.

First, you need to install and activate the TablePress plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

You will then see a TablePress menu item in your WordPress dashboard. Go to TablePress » Add New to create a new table.

Tablepress add new

You need to type in a name for your table and decide how many rows and columns you want. You can always add/remove table rows and columns later as well.

Once you have added the table name, rows, and columns, go ahead and click the ‘Add Table’ button to create your table.

Next, you will see a screen with your table’s information and an area where you can add content.

TablePress Edit Table

Simply type the data you want into the cells of your table.

To add or remove rows and columns or perform sorting operations, simply right-click inside the table. This will show an options menu where you can make more changes.

Right click table options

Advanced options, such as’ Table Manipulation, ‘ are below the ‘Table Content’ area.

From here, you can add, remove, and duplicate rows.

Table manipulation options

In ‘Table Options’, you can add a header and/or footer row, which won’t be sorted in with the data.

You can also decide where to show the table name and description:

Advanced table options

Finally, you can set various options in the ‘Table Features for Site Visitors’ section.

These settings allow you to create responsive tables that can be filtered, searched, and sorted by your readers.

Table features site visitors

Once you are happy with your table, just click ‘Save Changes’.

After that, copy the Table shortcode. You will need it in the next step.

Now, edit the post or page where you want to display the table and add the Shortcode block to the editor.

Add shortcode

After that, add the shortcode you copied earlier into the Shortcode block.

Don’t forget to update or save your changes.

On the other hand, if you are using the classic editor, then simply add the shortcode straight into your post:

Shortcode in classic editor

If you want to change your table in the future, you can return to TablePress in your dashboard and make changes. Your table will be automatically updated in any posts and pages you have used it in.

TablePress also allows you to import data from spreadsheets and CSV files. Similarly, you can export TablePress table data to a CSV file, which you can open with any spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add tables to WordPress posts and pages without using HTML. You might also like our guide on how to create a table of contents in WordPress and our expert picks for the best WordPress table plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us. Here's our editorial process.

Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

Get FREE access to our toolkit - a collection of WordPress related products and resources that every professional should have!

Reader Interactions

131 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

    Hey WPBeginner readers,
    Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
    Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
    You can get more details about the contest from here.
    Start sharing your thoughts below to stand a chance to win!

    • WPBeginner Support says

      The + is still in the current version of WordPress, if you are using a builder or similar tool instead of the block editor, that is the most common reason why you would not see it.

      Admin

  2. Ralph says

    I use wordpress default tables and while they work great on desktop browser, on the phone everything is messed up. It only allow like 10 characters max and turn nice table into rubbish.
    Is there a way to do something with it? Like not squish but scale? Table would be smaller but readable or the same size but we can swipe it?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      It heavily depends on how your table is organized, you may want to look into TablePress for more control over the tables.

      Admin

  3. Shafi says

    Is there a way to show html without it being rendered in the front-end ? like i wanna show in the table cell, and i want the output as however, the table is treating it as if there’s an image. How do i solve that

    • WPBeginner Support says

      It would depend on the method used but in your toolbar when you have a cell selected you should have the option of setting it as inline code for what you’re wanting to do :)

      Admin

  4. Warren Contreras says

    The table is exactly what I need, but only if you can input number and display a column sum in the botom row,

    • WPBeginner Support says

      To separate the content in your tables into different pages, you want to use TablePress and its pagination options.

      Admin

  5. Anita says

    The background colors don’t work because you need to backspace the quotations and type in your own quotations. I found it by accident. If someone else has already figured that out my apologies but I wasn’t going to go through over 100 comments to check.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      Thank you for sharing that should someone run into the background color not working for them :)

      Admin

  6. Andre Victor says

    Hi. I have an existing table with data of 6 columns and 750 rows. It would be difficult to re-type into blank table in WordPress page. Please advise how I can either import the entire table (can be Excel or Word) or copy and paste the cells’ contents into blank table.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      You would want to take a look at TablePress and the import options available to bring in your table.

      Admin

  7. Margaret says

    Hi! I am wondering if it is possible to simply copy->paste a table from an existing document into WordPress? I have tried this and it doesn’t appear to work, but I am wondering if there is a trick to it that I am missing. Thanks!

    • WPBeginner Support says

      It would depend on the document but we would normally recommend recreating the table in WordPress

      Admin

  8. Jim Gharib says

    Classic editor does have table functionality and a plugin is not needed when using that editor. Check it out.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      You would need to use a plugin to enable the classic editor and normally that would require using HTML :)

      Admin

  9. Matthews Otalike says

    Oh my word, thanks for the guidance on creating tables on WordPress and other resources you have been availing to us. Kudos to you.

  10. Annapurna agrawal says

    Hi
    I have installed the tablepress plugin.

    i have issue for user capability. In the user role plugin, i haven’t granted permission to “edit_other_user_tables”. But my contributor user role can still edit other’s table and delete it as well.

    How should i avoid access to other’s table?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      You would want to reach out to TablePress to see if there is a built-in or recommended method for preventing editing of other tables.

      Admin

  11. Nabil Nawaz says

    Great article.. how can we make parent child in this ? like 1st column’s 1st cell is parent cell and next to it we have information for it’s child info.. like three rows are need to be explained for that 1st cell next to it

  12. sumit kumar gupta says

    Sir when we click on the TablePress option in Visual editor then only list of table is showing in front of me. No Table creation option is available in Visual Editor. What should I do for create a new table in Post editor?

  13. Wyce Ghiacy says

    Thanks for the video.

    What would you recommend to embed a formatted Excel sheet and collect data from registered WP users? (Like monthly usage reports, and the excel sheet also calculates the quarterly/yearly usage)

  14. Louise Wooding says

    HI

    Thank you for the video. I have created my table and chose Insert Image in one of the cells. It did let me choose the image but it then entered the URL to it rather than the image itself. Have I missed out a step??

    Thank you.
    Louise

  15. Owolabi says

    This is a nice article boss.
    Thanks for sharing.
    But I do have a question.
    Is there no plugin I can install that can bring the insert table option into the icons on my wordpress post?
    Thanks as I await a reply

  16. Ravi Kanani says

    I want to add a table of specification in which first column is same for all post and second column is different.
    How can I add this type of table in post??

  17. Susan Hawthorne says

    It would be very nice if, in the article about TAblePress it said that you have to upgrade to a business plan to use a plugin!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

  18. Barbara says

    Is there any way to bold some lines of text in the table? Its all plain text, wish there was an easy way to add bold text

  19. banks dada says

    Thanks a million for this plugin. All i needed was to prepare the list on excel and import it into wordpress.
    Sweet and time saving tool.

    Bless you guys for this piece

  20. Sadha says

    Hi, I would like to create links in the table that forward to another page and pass the row number through or any field from the row. How would I do this?

    Options I can think of which are not straight forward
    1) Use localStorage\sessionStorage
    2) Pass the value in the URL but then the next page needs to read this on load – maybe not a bad idea ?

  21. Molly Greger says

    Wow! such a fantastic tool!! BUT: the colors are so pale I cant see a thing?? How can I change the colors fo rows/columns?

  22. Alex Nicholson says

    Think this only works for users of WordPress.org. Is there any similar guide for those like me who use WordPress.com especially where I can use a coloured background to the cells in a table?

  23. Ray says

    Hello
    I was trying to make an interactive table similar to this that would use a query picking data from a database.
    I am using wordpress with a mysql/phpmyadmin database.

    My query works in phpmyadmin but does not show values in wordpress?

    SELECT * FROM `MyTablename` WHERE 1

    Do i need to use a list or print command or database name?

  24. Carolyn says

    I would definitely recommend this plugin. A reminder to blogger when moving from one hosting service to another: don’t forget to back up the tables. There’s no way to recover the data. And if you know how can you share the info.

  25. Dimitar says

    I recently was struggling to figure out how to add good-looking tables so this will be very helpful, thank you for publishing this.

  26. Paco Gimenez says

    Hi guys,
    Thank you very much for support.
    This tablepress is interesting.
    I was looking a system to do something like that:
    In i have a table with some information and colums. table1 for example.
    I want when i press some region in my map, i can load an url, like /map#section

    Can i do something like load same table in another order? by some colum o something? instead of click in a column, click in a region and load the same url but with the “#” of this table in the order required.

    Thank you very much for support.

  27. Arindam says

    Thanks for the info. I was wondering if the shortcode will have any SEO value. Is it likely that a table displayed with a shortcode will appear in Google Featured Snippet?

  28. mangi khumakcham says

    Good table plugin but not mobile friendly.
    The table right side get clipped in mobile view.

  29. Sany says

    Hey

    Can someone show me, how I can create dynamic table?

    I am new to WordPress. I like to maintain a database of gadgets say phones. I want an interface for me as admin to enter the specs and a picture of the item. For users, they will have the option to filter by brand and also compare 2 or more of these gadgets in a table format. They should also query an item and see all the specs in a table format. Please advice as to how this can be easily managed or maybe you have an article already for this!?

    thanks

    • Thanks for this! Now, how do I... says

      Please, other readers, don’t be to harsh with me (especially using the R word). I am very new to all of this and feel successful in creating my first table. Now, how do I change the look and feel of the text in the table? I am using it to link to materials contained further on the page and highlight important pieces.

      • a guy says

        You need to use CSS. There’s a bit of a learning curve to all this (in your case, you might want to style the table, rows, table cells, paragraphs in table cells, links, hover effects etc etc), so only start if it’s really important.

    • Tablepress - warning says

      I just lost a Table that I created using Tablepress. I don’t know how it was deleted, but I also just found out that there is no way to recover a deleted table. Since I don’t know how the table was deleted, I am worried about relying on Tablepress.

  30. David says

    Is it me or WordPress is retarded? I mean any WYSIWYG editor can do a table on the fly these days, but the biggest CMS can’t? I must be missing something here, but using a plugin or iframes is so much trouble for a simple table… I’ll code it myself.

    • Vituz Andersen says

      David,- I am with you. I dont get it. My first HTML editor back in 1998 had tables…. how come it has become easy to make a CMS based website, but you cant make a table…. Hellooooooo!!

    • Mayur says

      Hi David,

      I initially wanted to code it in myself, but wordpress kept formatting my table all over the place. Is there a specific was to use HTML in a page?

      Many Thanks

  31. Sirje Koop Palmqvist says

    I copied a table from Word into WordPress and the code is neat and clean. It works well. Now I want to try the same table with the FooTable plugin to make it responsive, althought it already is responsive in a way. Thought that a webdesigner keeps the material on the local computer anyway and thus can make changes in Word and replace the table in WP. This might be cheating but it works. Sirje

  32. Radu says

    TablePress is an amazing plugin.

    Thank you for this post.

    Actually today I downloaded it and already donated some money to their team.

    Have a fantastic day everyone.

  33. Neal says

    The problems with plugins like this is that if you ever abandon the plugin the content linked to that plugin is busted across your entire site.

    While very slick plugin I try to minimize my database dependency on them as much as possible.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      Neal, you are right about that. However, TablePress uses custom post types for tables. This means your tables are stored in the database even if you deactivate the plugin. You can still export the data.

      Admin

Leave A Reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.